Golden Slumbers
by MentalMeander
Summary: The Doctor and Donna find a clone of Rose, with all the memories and feelings of the original. But when the Doctor rejects the clone, it's up to Donna to mend three broken hearts. Post-Midnight. Ten/Rose...sort of. Reviews are appreciated!
1. Golden Slumbers

**Chapter One: Golden Slumbers**

Donna stepped out of the dark glow of the TARDIS and found herself bathed in light.

Plains of long, golden grass lay before her, stretching out as far as she could see, and in the distance she spotted glittering peaks reaching upwards to touch the sky. The mountains seemed to glow and shimmer, and as she watched in bewilderment she realized that they were reflecting the sunlight. Giving an excited grin, she stepped out of the TARDIS, slowly lowering a bare foot to the ground, and felt a surge of delight as warm, tan-coloured soil slipped between her toes.

She closed the TARDIS' doors behind her and beamed, suddenly feeling aware of the empty space beside her. She rarely left the TARDIS without the Doctor at her side, and while she loved traveling with him, Donna reveled in this feeling; the sheer nervousness and excitement of stepping out on to an alien planet by herself. This was her, Donna Noble, a lowly temp from Chiswick, adventuring out into the wilderness by herself. Anything could happen, _anything_, and for once she was about to experience just what that anything was all by herself.

Unable to resist anymore, Donna began to stride forward confidently, but stopped when something brushed against her ear. After raising a hand to feel, and realizing there was nothing there, she twisted around to see what it was, and for the first moment since her arrival, she let her eyes travel upwards. Across the golden plain, specks of yellow fell lightly from the sky. She stared, intrigued, her ever-inquisitive mind wondering if it could be snow. Donna reached out, and managed to grab hold of one as it drifted by. She stared at it in fascination as it lay in the palm of her hand. It was a petal. She looked back across the field, gazing in wonder as the golden petals floated down from no where like yellow cherry blossoms. Above her, not even a cloud penetrated the crisp blue sky. Where were they coming from? After staring at the spectacle for a few seconds she decided to just be happy she was there to see it. She let the petal in her hand go, and watched as the soft wind blew it out of sight before she began walking away from the TARDIS, ready to explore this gorgeous, alien world.

For a while Donna waded waist deep through the tall grass, stopping every now and then to glance back at the TARDIS. Fortunately, the ship's bright blue exterior stood out for miles against the gold of the grass, so Donna knew the possibility of getting lost was tiny. While she walked her fingers skimmed the grass-tops, but it didn't itch, merely soothed her fingertips as she brushed past. As she drifted across the glen, Donna reminded herself of why she was here, and what she was looking for.

That morning, when Donna had awoken, the Doctor had been gone. Not missing, just gone. In fact, that had been his exact words on the post-it he'd stuck to her bedroom door. "Gone out" written in messy writing with a jelly baby stuck to what little space was left on the paper with an extravagant amount of sellotape. After gobbling the snack up and mentally thanking the Doctor for being so concerned about her diet, Donna had decided to go find the Time Lord. He hadn't told her not to come, so it couldn't be too dangerous-or so she hoped, since her ginger hair probably stood out in the golden landscape more than the TARDIS-and one jelly baby hadn't caused nearly enough of a sugar high to cure her boredom. After changing out of her pajamas Donna had slipped out through the ship's doors, and had found herself...here.

Donna continued walking for a few minutes, and was beginning to worry when she spotted the object of her search. Through the golden strands she could see the Doctor coat, which had been unceremoniously deposited on the ground in a messy heap. Beside it lay the Time Lord himself, eyes closed as he breathed gently. Donna felt her stomach drop in dread as her as it occurred to her that he could be unconscious, or worse.

"Doctor?" she called out, voice wavering with fear. He didn't reply, but instead shifted slightly, craning his neck and angling his face upwards, as if seeking the sun's warmth. Donna could see his eyes moving slowly under their lids. Above, the sunlight flickered down, running across his pale, freckled skin in a mix of gold and white. Donna felt her fear ease slightly as it dawned on her; he was sleeping.

The human smiled affectionately, glad he was safe, but mentally chided herself. She should have seen this coming. After their visit to Midnight he'd been both physically and mentally exhausted, and she'd known he'd have to crash sooner or later, Time Lord or not. If she closed her eyes...she could still remember it clearly. The look on his face as he'd returned to the resort, the ghostly eyes which had looked right through her, yet consented as she'd pulled him close, and he'd pulled her closer.

By now Donna had realized her true purpose as a companion. She wasn't there for company, however much he might enjoy hers when he had time, or to hold down levers and push buttons when he was busy. No, she was there to be a lifeline; something the Doctor could hold on to, that he could use to help him get back on his feet whenever he fell. She knew that this lonely, fun, slightly mad alien needed _something_ to keep him grounded, and couldn't imagine what would happen if he didn't have that something with him.

Her eyes drifted to his sides, and her smile faded when she saw that his fingers were curled tightly around a stray strand of grass; he was holding himself in place, as if he was afraid he might fall away from the ground if he didn't. Donna lowered herself to the ground and, after gently prying the golden strand from his grip and entwining her own fingers with his, she waited for the Time Lord to wake.

Brushing a stray lock of ginger hair out of her eyes, Donna let her mind wander, thoughts following the same trail as they had before. She remembered Martha, and how she'd mistaken the Doctor desperately holding on to her as something else, and the disappointment that had soon followed. And thinking back further...Donna let herself remember the image of this alien, standing in the doorway of his TARDIS, and choking out the name of the woman who had been ripped away from him. The woman who had stolen the Doctor's heart long before Donna had even known he existed, who had disappeared so mysteriously from the his life, and who now only existed as a ghost that haunted the TARDIS' hallways, her face unseen and her name tabooed...

"Hello," came a small voice. Donna jumped slightly, and looked down to where the Doctor lay, both eyes now open and staring up at her. She smiled back, trying not to envy the fact that while she was usually incapable of placing one foot in front of the other within the first hour of waking up, he didn't even look groggy, and could have easily fought off an entire battalion of Sontarans, or whatever other alien he'd managed to anger today.

"Good morning Sunshine." she replied, using one of her kinder nicknames for him. "Nice sleep?"

"Mhmm, lovely." His eyes drifted down to their joined hands, and Donna quickly snatched hers away, cheeks turning scarlet as she did so. She leaned back, avoiding eye contact and instead surveyed the golden world that lay before them.

"This place is beautiful! What's it called?" She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and gave a small, relieved smile when she felt the Doctor take her hand back and hold it loosely in his.

"Nothing. Doesn't have a name. At least, not anymore." She turned back to look at him, and saw that he was staring at the planet with the same look that often entered his eyes at the mention of his home, or Ro..._her_. A small bubble of anger inside her popped, as it often did when he wouldn't explain things properly, making her feel so...insignificant. So unneeded.

"Well if you're not going to answer-"

"No," he interrupted. "Sorry Donna." He made eye contact. "Sorry. I'm just trying to think of how to explain this to you. It's like...it's like on the Ood Sphere. Well, not exactly like it, but similar. Your people branched out from Earth, settling on different planets, and the Ood Sphere was one of the worlds they colonized. My people did the same sort of thing; they found worlds similar to theirs, and tried to expand their civilization by colonizing."

"And this was one of those worlds?" He nodded, and Donna frowned. "But it's...Doctor, it doesn't look like anyone's ever lived here."

He looked away again, the ghostly look in his eyes returning. "The Time War. It wiped them out. Made it so they never existed. Now they never came here." There was a small silence, and Donna could feel him drifting away from her...

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He sniffed, snapping out of the memory and gave a cheery smile. "Nah, it's fine. Didn't come here to tell you ghost stories anyway." He jumped up, pulling her to her feet as he did so, and pointed at one of the glittering mountains in the distance. "That's why we're here. TARDIS was picking up some odd readings coming from this planet, from those mountains in particular, and I thought we should have a look."

"And you thought you'd steal a nap while you were here?" Donna asked, already feeling irritated by his sudden change of subject, and the fact that he'd referred to his race as a 'ghost story'. Was that honestly what he thought of them?

"Yup!" he replied, popping the 'p'. "Needed a bit of a rest, and this is the closest thing I have to-" He cut himself off, face dropping as his smile disappeared; being on this planet was causing him to let down his usually impenetrable emotional barriers, and bringing back memories Donna could tell he didn't want to remember. He looked down at the ground for a moment, quickly trying to compose himself and Donna reached out to touch his arm. He jerked away slightly, and she felt the sting of rejection as anger surged up within her once again. He always did this, never let her come too close. Sure, maybe she'd come closer than others, but if he was going to hold on to her then he needed to let himself go sometimes. Accept a comforting hug from time to time, or tell someone what was bothering him. But he never did and it drove her _mad_.

After a moment or two her friend snapped back from his gloom and looked back at her, smiling once again. "Anyway, off we go then, allons-_OW_!" He rubbed the spot where his companion had just hit him. "What was that for?"

Donna crossed her arms. "For pretending you don't need anyone." It was all she needed to say.

The Doctor stared at her for a second, lips tightening in defiance. "I don't." There was a tense moment of silence between the two of them, and Donna considered slapping him again, but he stooped down to pick up his coat and began to walk towards the glittering mountains before she could move. As he walked away Donna closed her eyes and breathed in softly, trying to sort through the waves of anger and frustration that raged inside of her, that made her want to shake this stupid spaceman, make him tell her _everything_...because she could make it better, she just _knew_ she could.

But as he pushed her away, she could feel her confidence dwindle; falling lower and lower each time he rejected her. Somewhere, in between the far away glances, and the mournful eyes that stared right passed her, past the cheerful smiles and funny catchphrases used to drag the Doctor's loneliness out of sight, Donna was losing the ability to stand her ground.

And so she slowly followed, leaving her stronghold amongst the grass as she let him lead her towards the mountains. Step by step. Day by day. Lie after lie after lie.

Ginger hair wafted across the golden glen, standing out for miles against the long grasses that swayed ever-mournfully in the light wind as Donna Noble followed in the footsteps of a lonely god.

Forever.

* * *

_Once there was a way to get back homeward  
__Once there was a way to get back home  
__Sleep pretty darling, do not cry  
__And I will sing a lullaby_

_Golden slumbers fill your eyes  
__Smiles awake you when you rise  
__Sleep pretty darling, do not cry  
__And I will sing a lullaby_

_~Golden Slumbers, The Beatles_


	2. Hallelujah

**Chapter Two: Hallelujah**

By the time they'd reached the mountains, the sun was setting and Donna could feel the air cool on the back of her neck as night began to fall. The dim, orange light that flickered across from the horizon seemed to fall through her hair, and rays of dark light wafted through the occasional gap in the long, ruby-coloured strands. She hurried to keep up with the Doctor's long steps, not wanting to have to walk back to the TARDIS in the dark. For the first leg of their journey, he'd been silent, striding along quickly with his shoulders squared and his eyes fixed immovably in front of him. After a while, however, he'd paused, and looked back at her as she'd tried to catch up. His eyes had held no apology, nor any sympathy, but he'd made eye contact, and Donna knew that was all she was going to get from him.

Donna knew only too well that making up with the Doctor wasn't like making up with anyone else. It wasn't like the aftermath of her fights with her mother, and for reasons other than they didn't spend the time afterwards planted in front of their favourite chick flicks as they painted each other's nails and gabbed about Donna's latest beau. Instead, with the Doctor there were invisible barriers that were never torn down, and emotional issues that went unaddressed. When one of them said something that hurt the other, instead of slowly bleeding out the wound, cleaning it, and patching it up, it would quickly switch from broken to healed, leaving Donna to wonder if either of them had ever been hurt in the first place. The difficulty of addressing each issue within their relationship made her human mind feel so confused, but she liked to think that she was on the right track, despite the fact that deep down, she knew the truth; the Doctor was a manipulator, and each sudden change of heart was his way of forcing her to think that there was nothing wrong.

Behind her, Donna felt a sudden warmth, and saw the dim world surrounding her begin to glow once more with sunlight. She turned, and squinted as a second sun slowly rose where the other had set, making the grassy plains shimmer brightly as they caught the morning light. "There's two suns," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else

The Doctor nodded. "Beautiful, isn't it? That moment right then, when it got a bit gloomy, that's the closest it gets to nighttime here. The two suns move in opposite orbits; that's why it's rising where the last one set. They hold each other in perfect balance, never letting the planet fall into darkness."

"Bit like you." Donna whispered bitterly as memories of their conversation under the previous sun returned, and she regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. The Doctor frowned, and held her eyes for a moment. She looked down at her feet to avoid his stare. "Sorry."

He sniffed. "Sure." He continued walking, this time intertwining his fingers with hers and turning them both away from the sunrise as if he couldn't make himself look at it any more. Donna could tell that what she'd said had hit him, hard.

As the shining peaks drew closer than ever, Donna continued to look down at her feet to avoid staring at the Time Lord; watching as her pale toes slid smoothly across the light, brown soil in continual motion. When there was a light tap on her elbow however, she finally looked up. The sight she was met with made her jump for second, for it was as surprising as it was familiar.

Bright, fiery green eyes gazed back at her in bewilderment, and waves of crimson hair fell across a pale face as the wind continued to blow. Donna couldn't help but shiver, and her reflection did the same. But as she stared at the image of herself, which stared back with eyes that portrayed exactly what she felt, Donna couldn't help but feel the same wonder that she felt every time the Doctor showed her the unexpected.

They were at the foot of the mountains. She raised her eyes, leaning back on her feet as she peered up to where they peaked, gleaming in the sunlight and scratching the clear sky with blinding light. As she stared at it, taking in the nearly vertical wall in front of her that formed its base, it began to look less and less like a mountain, and more like a towering structure, gleaming and shimmering like some sort of bent skyscraper. After glancing back to where the Doctor stood, smiling knowingly and waiting for her reaction, she reached out carefully, and placed a hand on the cool, glistening material in front of her. She recognized it at once.

"It's glass!" Her reflection mouthed the same words back at her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" When she nodded the Doctor continued to talk, eyes sparkling and he grinned widely, something he always did when he was excited by something. "Whole thing was created millions of years ago, back when this world was brand new. The planet was covered by layers upon layers of sand. Sort of like a silicon version of Earth's Ice Age. Imagine it; oceans of sand, stretching out as far as you can see...with waves as high as the sky forming every time the wind blows by, eventually sweeping it all away and leaving the planet ready to evolve." The Doctor paused for a moment, noticing the wistful look in Donna's eyes, and then sniffed to himself. "But it's not registering as it should be." He turned from the intrigued human and began walking around the mountain's edge, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and analyzing the glossy wall as he did so. "Someone's been here, and this whole structure's been hollowed out. Just need to find an entrance and we can figure out why."

Donna followed, still thinking of a vast planet covered in the same golden sand that was squished between her toes. She'd been holding on to his every word, and his description of this planet's past had her yearning to go there. She walked over and stood beside him, still gazing up at the one piece of evidence that had been left behind. "I wish we could have seen it."

He smiled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "We can."

They had a _time machine_. Even after traveling with the Doctor for so long, the impossibility of their lives could still become a bit too much to comprehend, and when Donna was caught up with the wonder of the present, it could be difficult to remember that there was still more to come.

As if on cue, part of the glass wall in front of them slid open, emitting the high, ear-piercing screech of metal against metal as it did so. Donna quickly covered her ears as she watched their reflections slide away from them, leaving only the dark chasm that lay beyond the door. She looked back at the Doctor, who was staring into the darkness with an adventurous smile.

"Just not right now," he whispered.

* * *

"Okay," Donna murmured as they walked through the dark passageway, which looked like it had been roughly chiseled out with a blunt ax. "Not _quite_ what I was expecting."

"I said it'd been hollowed out," said the Doctor, who was shining the way with a small flashlight he'd found in his pocket. "I just didn't say it'd been done really well." In the other hand he still held the sonic screwdriver, which he was using to track whatever signal had brought them here.

"Must've had a reason, right? I mean, you don't just dig tunnels through glass mountains and not make them nice looking because you got lazy. So, they were either in a big hurry, or they had a really, really big hangover." He raised an eyebrow at Donna, and she smirked. "Personal experience. Used to type memos for a living, remember? Y'know, back _before _you turned my life into a circus and told me you wanted to mate with me." The snort she got in reply was worth keeping a straight face for. Not that he could see her face in this light. Or at least, she didn't think he could.

"Eh-oh, over here." Donna trotted over to where the Doctor had paused, stumbling over the rough ground as she did so. The Doctor passed her his flashlight, and she shone it on what they were examining. Carved into the glass wall was a rectangular outline, and it was only once she'd realized what it was that the door slid to the side under the influence of the sonic screwdriver. The sound it made as it opened screeched through the glass hallways, like an agonized scream echoing through the darkness.

"Does it have to do that _every_ time one of these opens?" Donna yelled over it, starting to become irritated at the horrible sound.

"Just friction as the glass panels push against each other.. Nothing to get all shaken up about. Plus, it's good for you, Donna. Now you know what it's like." He dodged her slap and ducked through the opening, grabbing her hand and pulling her along as he did so.

As they slipped through the entranceway Donna stumbled slightly; she'd expected to feel the bumpy texture of a roughly chiseled floor under her bare feet, but instead her toes pressed down on a smooth, cool surface. As they walked further in, there was a soft click, and the room was suddenly flooded with light, leaving the redhead blinking blindly in surprise before she clamped her eyes shut. After a few moments she slowly opened her eyes, letting the light seep through the cracks in her eyelids as she adjusted to the brightness, and realized why whoever had dug through the mountain hadn't bothered with the hallways.

They hadn't just entered a room. They'd entered the mountain itself. Before them lay an enormous and glittering hallway which had been cut into the heart of the mountain, with smooth walls, and a ceiling which rose high over their heads, spiraling upwards and inwards towards the summit. Scattered throughout the chamber were long, thin panels of glass, which rose out of the floor until they were about Donna's height; meaningless walls that didn't seem to have any purpose, but were easily well-spaced out in the large room that they filled.

Both human and Time Lord stood rooted to the spot, and when Donna looked over at the Doctor to see how she should gage her own reaction, he looked just as stunned as she felt. She gave a delighted laugh, and grinned in excitement. This was amazing; one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen in her life. The mere massiveness of it, and the reason behind it's creation was enough to stump her. She turned back to examine the room once more, and jumped slightly when thousands of reflections moved at the same time, looking back at her from their places across the chamber.

Donna spoke first, giving another disbelieving laugh as she did so. "S-so um...where next?"

The Doctor snapped back from the entrancing site. "Right! Yes, of course." He looked down at his sonic screwdriver. "We're here."

"But...there's nothing here!" Donna was right; apart from the glass panels, the room was practically empty. "So what do we do, just wait for something to happen?"

The Doctor nodded at something in front of them. "Over there."

She looked, and after a moment or two of squinting, she realized what he'd pointed out to her. In the middle of the room, several of the same panels, this time slightly higher than the rest, had been placed side by side, and formed a tall, glass box. Against the glimmering whites of the rest of the mountain, it hadn't stood out, but now that the Doctor had drawn her attention to it, Donna could see it clearly. "What do you think it is?"

He shrugged. "No idea. But I'll bet my TARDIS that whatever brought us here is inside it." They began to walk towards the box, stepping around the glass walls that had previously obstructed their views, and Donna reached out to touch one.

"So that...box is a mystery, but do you know what these are for?"

The Doctor meanwhile, had reached the holding cell at the middle of the room, and was laying his hand on it's surface. "They're part of the system. Great big computer running through those things, all working as hard as they can to maintain whatever's in here." Still keeping his gaze focused on the glass prism in front of him, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at where she was standing.

All at once, every single panel around them began to glow with light, making the room shine even more, and each glass surface filled with colour as images bled on to them like paint. They weren't just a computer system. They were computer screens.

Donna turned away from the oblivious Time Lord, who probably knew what he'd done anyway, and stared at the screens. Each held a different image than the other, and she could barely make out what they meant. They were filled with various graphs and diagrams, none of which she understood. Some were varying slightly, and might have been measuring the temperature, or radiation levels or something, and another looked like a 3D plot of the box itself. But there was one screen in particular, which made her heart race slightly, and caused her to frantically call out for her best friend. "Doctor!"

He ran over instantly, pulling on his glasses to examine what she'd found, and she heard him inhale sharply. She placed a finger over the flickering screen. "Isn't that..." She trailed off when he nodded, and she gave an uncomfortable sigh.

The technology was odd, and the image in front of her was different than the one she was accustomed to, but she'd spent more than enough time in hospitals when her father was dying, and Donna Noble knew a heart monitor when she saw one.

She turned back to the box, staring at her reflection in it. "There's something...living in there."

"This isn't just a computer system," he replied. "They're monitoring something's heart beat, its temperature levels, growth patterns, you name it. This mountain's keeping something alive."

Donna's skin crawled as he grabbed her hand. She glanced back at the box, trying to imagine exactly what...or who it held, when the entire mountain was suddenly plunged into darkness. Every light disappeared, and the monitors all switched themselves off. Donna gave a startled scream and the Doctor quickly pulled her closer to him, squeezing her hand as he did so. "It's okay! Sh-sh-sh, Donna, it's all right. I'm here."

She gave one more soft yell, and then squeezed his hand once more, and fumbled around shakily until her hand met his lapel. She didn't let go. She could feel his fingers rubbing against her shoulder comfortingly, but couldn't even see him in the darkness. "Why-_oh_!"

The monitors quickly switched back on, and their screens emitted just enough of a soft, red light for her to make out the dim features of his face. He wasn't looking at her, but instead stared at the hundreds of images spread out around them, and she followed his shocked gaze. Every screen showed the same thing; strange circular images which twisted and shifted as they glowed, overlapping where they needed to and changing size from time to time as if to emphasize a point. More confused than anything else, Donna realized something. She recognized this. And from the look on his face, the Doctor did too. It took her a second, but after glancing at the writing and back to the Time Lord, Donna finally realized where she'd seen this before.

"That's the same stuff that appears on the TARDIS monitor!" The Doctor didn't look at her, so she continued. "That's your language isn't it, Doctor? Doctor?" She snapped her fingers in front of his nose in annoyance. "_Spaceman_!" He still didn't reply, but walked slowly towards the nearest monitor, hand slipping numbly from her shoulder as stared at it.

Donna continued to stand where she was, letting him read the message, and beginning to feel slightly frightened by the haunted look in his eyes. It was if he was miles away, and she could see the Oncoming Storm beginning to show. "Doctor?" she whispered, this time speaking in the soft voice she used whenever he needed her to try and understand. "What's going on?"

The monitors switched themselves off, and after a few seconds of darkness the light returned. The screens stayed blank, now causing the massive room to seem almost bland compared to the colourful atmosphere which had resonated through it only a few minutes ago. Donna tried again. "Doctor? Look, I know whatever's going on is serious, but could you _please_ just tell me what's happening?"

"Not now, Donna!" he suddenly snapped, spinning around to face her, and she stared at him in shock. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and muttered, "Sorry. I just...I just need you to be quiet for a second, okay? Just cooperate until we can get out of here and then..."

He shook his head and walked back towards the box, muttering to himself as he went, and Donna glared at the back of his head as he walked away from her. Cooperate? When _didn't_ she cooperate with him? Sure, sometimes she'd be a bit loud, or say something that got on his nerves, but she'd follow this stupid alien to the ends of the Earth if he asked her. When he'd told her to cooperate, she'd instantly thought back to her days of babysitting, of crying children, who banged their legs against the floor and screamed when they didn't get their way. Was that really what he thought of her?

At this thought she started after him. "I'm not-" But she was cut off when the entire box shuddered, and the glass began to shift; their reflections sliding away from them once more as it became transparent, allowing them to see what it held inside.

Unlike the doorways leading into the mountain, it made little sound, just a gentle whirring noise, and what lay beyond it was not darkness. The room inside was filled with as much light as the outside, but was small and cramped in comparison. It was also empty, save a few wires which all ran towards the box's only other resident; a small, glass cot-like slab. Donna felt her blood run cold, and felt the Doctor stiffen beside her, because on the slab lay a body.

Not a corpse, but a young, sleeping girl, who looked like she might be in her late teens, or early twenties. She wore a thin, white shirt, and a matching pair of pants which reached down to her bare feet, and her long blonde hair was spread out around her head like a golden halo, with dark roots which contrasted heavily against the purity of the glass image. A small tube ran through her open lips, and her chest moved slowly, soundlessly drawing in deep breaths in her unconscious state. Around her various wires ran towards her limbs, disappearing where they met her pale skin.

"Who is she?" Donna figured that the Doctor would have learned what was going on from the foreign message he'd read, but when she looked up at him she recoiled slightly in shock. His lips were pressed together tightly and trembling slightly, as if he was having trouble breathing. His fists were clenched, knuckles quickly turning white as he stared through the glass with eyes that stormed and warred with impossible fury. Swallowing nervously, Donna reached out, not quite touching him, but reaching just enough to show him that she was still here. "_Doctor_."

At the sound of his name, he turned towards her, and that horrible, deadly look in his eyes vanished, replaced by one she was more familiar with; a look of complete and utter loneliness, like he was _so_ lost, and didn't have a friend in the world. "Donna?"

He stepped forward tentatively, and it was out of pure instinct that Donna pulled him towards her. It occurred to her that usually she would have questioned him for acting like this, but for once he had turned to her for comfort, and this was better than how he'd been acting only a few moments ago. It had scared her. The alien wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder with all the emotion of someone who was about to make the most impossible journey. They stayed like that for a while, the only noise being the soft beep-beep of the machine sustaining that...girl, and his gentle sighs as he breathed deep into her shoulder.

Finally, he drew away and looked back towards the glass room, staring at in contemplation. This time, it wasn't anger or loneliness that clouded his eyes, but uncertainty, and a clear and undying fear, like someone teetering uneasily over the edge of a cliff, about to either fall or be saved. Donna bit her lip, unsure of what to think. It was so rare that she saw him express all the emotion she knew he was capable of, but as he passed from one mood to the next-from anger, to loneliness, to fear-a small seed of an idea was planted in her mind, and it grew with each second, causing her to become more and more certain as they stood there. It was like...

"You know her." Whether it was a question or a fact, Donna had no idea.

He looked back at her, and gave his head a quick shake. "No. Not _her_. We've never met."

"But then who is she? You know who she is, Doctor. That's what those screen things were saying, weren't they? _Don't lie to me_." She whispered the final sentence through gritted teeth, and he barely wasted time staring at her before he stepped forward and grabbed her arm, turning her to face the small room.

"That, Donna Noble, is a clone of Rose Tyler."

The answer was delivered in such an air of passiveness that Donna barely realized the significance of what he'd just told her, and it took her a while to piece the name together in her head. "Not...not your Rose?"

He didn't answer, and her mouth dropped open. She looked back to the girl, who looked so perfectly normal, right down to the peroxide-blonde hair someone had taken the trouble to dye for her.

"B-but...how did...? _Why_?"

He just sniffed, leaving yet another question unanswered. "Question is; what type? Most clones are merely physical, taking on the same dimensions as the original, but from the looks of it, this clone's been tampered with." At a startled look from his companion he continued. "All the personality traits, memories, quirks, everything. It's all been inserted right into its mind, and it's been programmed to awaken when all those," Here he gestured to the wires and tubes connected to her body. "Are unplugged."

"So she's _exactly_ like Rose?" Donna exclaimed, already feeling the excitement beginning to bubble up inside of her. The Doctor couldn't have Rose, and while Donna had no idea what had happened to the girl to make her leave him, losing her had left him emotionally shattered, but this could be just what he needed to bring himself back from the brink of self destruction.

"You could say that, yes." The Doctor put his hands in his coat pockets, and gazed at the clone for a moment before taking Donna's hand once more and beginning to lead her away. "C'mon."

She pulled back. "Where are we going?"

"Back to the TARDIS," he replied, nodding his head towards the exit as if it were obvious.

"Without her?" There was a pause, and the Doctor stared at her apprehensively.

"We're not taking it, Donna."

"_It_? What the hell are you going on about, Spaceman?" Her voice was becoming louder now, and was beginning to verge on a yell.

"Donna, look I-"

He never got to finish his sentence. Suddenly, a high pitched scream echoed throughout the chamber, and the lights flickered rapidly. Donna gave a shriek and fell to the floor as the entire room began to shake under her feet, and as she watched all the screens began to flicker like the lights; that same foreign message being played over and over again on a loop as they turned on and off...

Somewhere amongst the confusion, she felt the Doctor pick her up and set her on her feet. "We need to go!" he screamed over the deafening wail. "This whole place is going to come down!" Around them shards of glass fell like giant blocks of ice, shattering into millions of glistening pieces as they hit the ground. He grabbed her and began to run towards the exit, but Donna pulled away from him once more.

"What about Rose?" She screamed, more out of anger and disbelief than to drown out the crash of shattering glass.

He stepped closer and placed his hands on her shaking shoulders. "Donna, I told you; that's not Rose."

"But it is!" She insisted. "You said so yourself! She's got all her memories and everything._ You said so_!"

"That doesn't make it her, Donna. Now come on, we need to go!"

"But she'll die in here!" Donna was screaming even louder than ever, still not able to believe that this was happening. This wasn't him; he never talked like this, and would never, ever think of leaving someone behind.

He looked back at her, eyes cold with anger, and said something that made her blood freeze in fury. "She never lived."

Donna stared at him for a second, and then turned to look back at the helpless body still lying in the small chamber. The glass surrounding Rose had cracked long ago, and the inside was beginning to fall apart. Long slivers of shattered glass continued to fall from the ceiling, and one landed near the clone's head, causing the redhead to whimper. She turned back to look at the Doctor once more, taking in the fire and determination that burnt behind his eyes. And then Donna made her decision.

She reluctantly turned from the Time Lord and sprinted towards the box, leaping through the cracked window as she did so and scratching her arm when what was left of the glass met with her bare skin. It didn't take her long to reach the body, but by the time she did the crashes were becoming louder and more frequent, and she knew she didn't have long.

"Okay..." Donna whispered uncertainly, madly wishing that Martha was here to tell her how to unhook the girl. But _that_ doctor was even more absent than the other medical professional in vicinity, so she had to try and figure it out herself. Deciding to remove the most obvious piece of equipment first, she grabbed the tube running into the clone's mouth and slowly pulled it out, wincing at its length when she saw it at its full. For a moment afterwards the girl lying in front of her coughed hoarsely, and Donna felt a surge of hope, but then she became quiet again. Next, Donna went to remove the wires, and felt nauseous when she realized that they weren't stuck on like she'd imagined, but instead ran under Rose's skin and into her body. Each wire slid out easily enough, though, and when she was finally done, Donna began to feel the panic that most people would usually feel while inside a collapsing mountain.

"Wake up!" she shouted at Rose. "Please, just wake up!" The girl didn't move, and Donna attempted to lift her but, as light as Rose looked, Donna just wasn't strong enough. She glanced around at what was now left of the room for something she could place the blonde in, but couldn't find anything. Trying to ignore the continual scream that still filled the chamber, she bit back a sob, and grabbed the clone's arm for comfort, ignoring the small punctures where the wires had been inserted into Rose's skin as tears began streaming down her cheeks. A pane of glass landed next to her, and Donna let out a terrified scream.

Finally, with no other alternative, she looked back to where she'd come from. The Doctor stood completely still, oblivious to the large blocks of glass that continued to shatter around him. For a moment their eyes met over Rose's still body, and all of time seemed to stand still. And then, sobbing with fear as the world around her fell apart, Donna Noble screamed.

"HELP ME!" There was a pause, and then she tried again. "DOCTOR, HELP ME, PLEASE!" She gripped the girl's arm tighter and cried, lowering herself to the ground. Her ears filled of shrieks as glass pushed against glass, like thousands of the mountain's doors screaming through the darkness; coming for her.

A few more seconds passed, and then the Doctor moved forward, breaking into a run as he dodged the falling glass to get to her. Donna watched through hot tears, and then moved her attention towards the still-unconscious girl, frantically positioning her arms so that she'd be ready to be carrying when the Doctor arrived. A stab of relief shot through her when he finally leaped through the broken pane, and rushed towards them. He threw the small body over his shoulder carelessly, and Donna considered screaming at him to watch it, but decided against it when the roof of the box groaned, ready to come crashing down on them at any second. She felt the Doctor grab her arm, and didn't need him pulling her along to know she had to run as fast as she could. As they dashed out of the box, she heard a mighty smash as it collapsed in on itself, and gave a strangled sob of relief.

But it wasn't over yet. Across the chamber the small door they'd come through seemed further away than she'd remembered, and with each step Donna became surer that they weren't going to make it. But after what seemed like forever, the exit finally loomed before them, and Donna stumbled slightly as the Doctor pushed her through. The rough ground bit into her bare feet as they ran through the tunnel, both of them falling just as much as the other while cracks followed them along the crumbling ground.

When they finally reached the end, the Doctor dropped Donna's hand and began fumbling through his pocket for his sonic screwdriver, for the door leading outside was still shut firmly. When he finally found the device, he pointed it at the door, which let out one last, deafening scream and slid open. Donna ran through first, gasping and falling to her knees in exhaustion as her vision swam, but the Doctor pulled her back up again.

"Not yet!" When Donna turned around, she saw why they had to keep moving. The entire mountain was trembling, pieces falling off the outside as it shook, and it would fall any second. If they were near it when it finally collapsed...

She tried not to think about what would happen and forced her tired body onwards. For a few minutes they continued to run, and she tried not to cry out when golden soil found its way into the cuts on her feet. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, every scream and groan that was being emitted from the mountain stopped, and they turned in surprise, staring back at the massive structure.

For a few moments there was silence, and then the mountain gave one last moan, and the entire structure fell, crashed downwards with all the force and beauty of a dying god. Each peak vanished beneath a cloud of glass, and the mountain's dying screams filled the air as each piece of glass simultaneously fell apart.

The Doctor turned towards her with wild eyes. "Get down, Donna!" The human suddenly realized what had the Doctor so worried. A shimmering cloud of light was coming closer; a shock-wave of glass sent out by the mountain's collision with the ground. She gave a yell and turned from the sight, pushing her face into the Doctor's shoulder as he wrapped a protective arm around her.

When the wave of remains reached them, it was like a storm; ripping at every part of her as it blew past, trying to knock her to the ground and tear her to pieces, but the Doctor held her tight, drawing his coat around her and holding her in place. When it finally subsided, he loosened his grip on her and whispered breathlessly, "Donna, whatever you do, don't open your eyes."

"W-what?"

"The air's full of glass. Just...just keep them closed and I'll get you back to the TARDIS." When she nodded shakily, he added, "And try not to breath too deeply. Last thing you need is a lungful of glass."

Donna pressed a hand over her mouth and kept her eyes clamped shut. A sudden, panicked thought occurred to her. "Do you still have Rose?"

There was a pause. "Yeah." Not quite believing him, Donna opened one eye, and peered carefully through a crack in her fingers. All around them a white mist filled the air, sparkling with what was left of the sunlight it was blocking out. Even in death the mountain was beautiful. Next to her, Rose was still slung over the Doctor's shoulder, and Donna felt relieved, until she saw the Doctor's face.

The look in his eyes told her that what came next would not be easy. There was a flash of determination, of anger and annoyance, and so many other emotions she couldn't quite place. One thing she was sure of though, was that he wasn't happy about what he'd ended up saving. Because while that girl in his arms was both physically and mentally Rose, Donna could see that he didn't accept it, and wouldn't accept her back into his life. Not like this.

"I couldn't leave her," she whispered. He didn't answer. He didn't need to for her to know what he was thinking...

That deep down, while looking for adventure in the depths of a looking-glass mountain, all they'd found was another reflection.

* * *

_Maybe there's a God above  
__And all I've ever learned from love  
__Was how to shoot at someone how outdrew you  
__And it's not a cry you can hear at night  
__It's not somebody who's seen the light  
__It's a cold and it's a broken  
__Hallelujah_

_~Hallelujah, Rufus Wainwright & Leonard Cohen_


	3. 39

**Chapter Three: '39**

Thirty-nine minutes later, Donna was stumbling back through the long reeds of grass, biting her lip in defiance and holding back whimpers of pain as soil slowly continued to slip through the cuts in her feet. The world sailed past in slow motion, each second as seemingly infinite and immeasurable as the last. Occasionally, she would stumble, and on each occasion, the Doctor was there to catch her. Or at least, she assumed it was the Doctor, for this slow motion world was an endless void of greys and blacks that was spread in front of her by the backs of her eyelids. Her only indicator of the golden-turned-black planet she assumed was still there was the soothing motion of the long reeds of grass against her fingertips, and the yellow cherry blossoms that continued to cascade form the sky, falling across her face, her neck, and her fingertips. Each falling petal that brushed against her was now as unexpected as it was unwelcome, and only added to her ever-growing irritation; causing her to wonder how this beautiful planet had turned against her so quickly.

If she concentrated, and listened hard enough, she could just about hear the Doctor quickly walking along beside her, although his footsteps were so purposefully light that if it hadn't been for the heavy swishing of his coat she never would have known he was there. A few times throughout their journey, she tried to talk to him, for she needed to hear his voice in order to break through the haunting silence that was following them across the plain, causing her to feel so lonely. But each time she approached him, he'd shake her off with one word answers, or a "Not no, Donna." He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts, and while Donna understood why, she was beginning to feel desperate for his company.

She wanted to open her eyes so badly, but she could already feel the slight sting from when she'd opened them earlier and knew that opening them any more would only cause her greater pain. So she continued on, eyes clamped shut, hands covering her mouth, and feet burning from their dirt-filled wounds. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed on the TARDIS, but even that wouldn't happen soon, for once they got back they'd have bigger things to deal with.

Even if the Time Lord kept as quiet as possible, Donna could hear Rose's soft breaths beside her, and knew that the girl still hung over the Doctor's shoulder. She expected Rose to wake up at any moment, and she was baffled by the fact that she was still unconscious after all this time. Hadn't the Doctor said she'd come to once she was unplugged from the computer? But it was all for the better, she supposed, if Rose didn't come to until they reached the TARDIS. The Doctor's erratic behaviour from earlier had her convinced that she had no way of predicting what he'd do next, and she wasn't sure she wanted to see his reaction if Rose woke up while still in his arms.

And come to think of it, she didn't know what Rose's reaction would be either. Sure, she'd heard a little bit about Rose before now, but it was all so vague; she'd lived on an estate, she'd once had him over for Christmas dinner and most importantly, she was lost. What _lost_ implied, Donna had no idea, but over the course of her travels it had occurred to her that Rose could have left the Doctor out of her own free will. And if that was the case, then the clone's reaction to seeing the Doctor would be just as unpredictable as the Time Lord's.

We're here." The Doctor's voice cut through her thoughts, and Donna stopped walking. Around her, the slow motion world stopped drifting, and time once again had substance. She reached out, and allowed herself a brief smile when her hand met with a familiar wooden surface, which was warm to the touch, and hummed happily under her hand. Now that her world was less infinite, she could feel the seconds ticking by, and would have become increasingly impatient with the Doctor while he searched for the TARDIS' key, but the door clicked open instantly. Had her eyes been open, Donna wasn't even sure she would have seen the key being used. She never heard the lock turn. It was like the Doctor was so far away from humanity...and he believed that now was not the time to indulge in such silly human traditions as locks and keys. Either that, or he'd had the key ready for a while, and she was just being thick.

As she felt his hand slip through hers, ready to guide her through the bright blue doors, which were now merely dark and grey through her closed eyes, Donna shivered. When she'd first come here, and seen this planet, with its glittering peaks, its fields of golden grass, and its bright rays of sunshine, she'd felt so warm, and everything had been in a constant state of glorious tranquility. But now...now, with her eyes closed, and the once warm sand filling in the cuts inflicted upon her feet, causing her so much pain, all she could feel was the cold.

It seemed so strange to her that she'd once thought that this planet was like fire; blazing with the same, unearthly beauty found in the centre of a sun, or the heart of a Time Lord. But now the curtain had been drawn, and this warm landscape was now cold and bleak. And as she stared into the darkness, Donna finally accepted that she'd been wrong. This was not fire; it was too harsh, too uncaring to fit her previous assumptions. The air was cooling down, sun setting as another took its place, like a world too afraid to succumb to the night. The golden cherry blossoms continued to brush against her skin, and it was the like final days of fall, unable to plunge into the winter. And beside her, the Doctor entered the TARDIS, pulling her along behind him, and it was like a Time Lord, too afraid to finally jump the hurdle and talk. No...this wasn't fire, but this golden landscape, with soft petals falling from the sky and fiery colours that did not burn, but hurt her all the same; this was simply a trapped planet, beautiful, cold, and forever autumn.

* * *

The heavy hush of the wind stopped the moment Donna leaned back against the TARDIS' doors, closing them behind her with a soft click. Her eyes still stung, but she tried to pry them open anyway, squinting in pain as she did so. There was a quick and blurry flash of green and gold, a tall, thin figure with something thrown over his back, and then there was a wave of pain and she shut them once again, flinching and leaning back against the wooden doors with a frustrated moan.

"Stupid planet..." Around her the TARDIS hummed, and she felt ease in its familiarity, but a sudden bout of panic hit her when she realized she could no longer hear the Doctor, and had no idea of where he was, or what he was up to. Taking a tentative step forward, she called out, "Doctor?"

The soft humming of the TARDIS was immediately broken when her call was answered by a loud _crash_, and Donna blindly jerked backwards in alarm, banging her head on the TARDIS' doors as she did so. She slid down towards the floor, holding the back on her head, and gave a low moan. Whatever had hit the floor caused the grating to vibrate under her feet, and for one moment, the TARDIS was void of all sound, as if it was just as surprised by the crash as she was.

"_Doctor?_" she heard herself yell. "What've you done?" Unable to stand the darkness any longer, she made her choice, and pain shot through her as she forced her eyes open once again, this time managing to stop herself from letting them close. In front of her, the Doctor stood at the time rotor, hunched over as he worked the controls, and sent them back into the vortex. But at his feet...

Donna gave an outraged gasp of disbelief. At his feet lay Rose; one arm lying perpendicular to her body, unconsciously reaching out as if to grab the Doctor's ankle and pull him back to her. Her hair was draped over her face, covering her closed eyes, and Donna instantly ran to her to make sure she was alright, stumbling over the grating as her feet continued to throb.

"You dropped her! What the hell were you thinking?" she screamed at the Time Lord as she crashed to the floor beside the prone body, but he didn't move; just continued to stare at the TARDIS' monitor, at the same symbols that had danced across the screens inside the glass mountain. Deciding to deal with him later, Donna looked down at the clone. She seemed fine enough, but Donna knew well enough to know that simply looking at the body wouldn't do anything. She hesitated, and then, simply following what she'd seen done in films, she placed a finger over the cool skin of the clone's neck. After a moment she moved her finger slightly, and then again. She'd never tried to do this before. "I can't find a pulse!"

She stared at the Time Lord in a half panic, who sniffed passively, still refusing to look at her. "She's got one, Donna."

"But I can't-"

"It's _fine_," he suddenly snapped, looking at her as he gripped the console even harder. After a moment of silence, he gave a sigh and broke his motionless pose in the centre of the room. He walked over, and leaned down to grab Donna's hand and position it properly. She didn't miss the fact that he never let his skin touch the clone's, but she smiled sadly to herself anyway, for she could now clearly feel Rose's pulse beneath her fingertips. It was quicker than she'd expected, and Donna wondered if that could be because of her fall, or if it was something to do with the fact that that the clone still hadn't woken up, which was only causing Donna more worry. But either way, she found some comfort in the heavy throbbing; it was a sign that something was going right for once. She looked up at the Doctor, who still stood over the two women. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He sniffed, before heading back to the console.

"You said she'd wake up when we unplugged her from the machine. Why's she still asleep?"

The Doctor ignored her. "I'll get us back into the vortex, and then we'll try and find something for your eyes, yeah? Well, and your feet, I suppose. Don't want to have to drag you along wherever we go. That could be a bit messy. Like that time on Berda, do you remember? With those ponds and the-"

"Oh, you can shut up." The Doctor's eyebrows quirked upwards, and he folded his arms in submission. "How long have you been looking for her? Years, right? And she's here Doctor! And you're so busy being an idiot that you won't even look at her!"

He shook his head. "It's not her, Donna."

She gave a frustrated moan and attempted to stomp her foot while sitting down, an action which both proved impossible, and made her wince in pain when it only forced more dirt into the cuts on her feet. "I hate you," she mumbled, staring down at the unconscious girl.

"No you don't," he whispered back.

She snapped her head up to glare at him. "What makes you think I-?"

"You're still here," he replied, and Donna slowly rose to her feet.

"Yeah," she drew the word out with a bitter smile. "But _I_ don't have a time machine. Couldn't go back if I wanted to."

"You could ask."

"Yeah, well..." She trailed off and shook her head before walking across the console room, the cold metal grating of the floor helping to ease the sharp pains in her feet. She stood before him and fought the urge to drop her eyes to the ground, instead matching his fiery gaze with one of her own. "I wish you'd tell me what's going on."

He raised an eyebrow. "I wish you wouldn't wish that."

She raised a hand in an effort to slap him-the only form of communication she seemed to be able to manage these days-and regretted it the moment she raised her palm. But he caught her by the wrist, and held her stare for a few seconds. She stood still and took a few deeps breaths, still trying to comprehend why all this was happening. And then, taking in the look on his face, Donna realized something, and pulled her wrist back towards her. "You're not telling me everything, are you?"

He didn't answer. "'Cause you don't do this! Not without a reason. Even if you're having trouble accepting that that's Rose-which it is, you _dunce_-that doesn't explain why you're acting like an idiot." There was still no answer. "_Doctor? _You're hiding something from me!"

He looked away. "I can deal with this, Donna."

"What, on your own? Well, you've done a pretty bloody good job sorting it out so far, haven't you?" She nodded towards the body lying where the Doctor had carelessly thrown it, and she could feel her rage still building up inside of her. She raised her hand once more-this time intending to give him an intimidating shove-but, like before, he grabbed her by the wrist, this time more tightly than ever.

They held that pose for at least a minute, and Donna could feel her breaths becoming shorter and more shallow as she tried her best not to show how upset she was, despite the way her arm shook in his grip. But the Doctor seemed to be suffering from the same thing, and she gave a frustrated sigh when a now-familiar look of deep sadness crossed his features, and he looked away. She moved a little closer, still confused about what was real, and what was simply his way of making her shut up, and now, using their close proximity, whispered, "I won't pity you."

He simply nodded. "I know."

"Just...I just want you to know that. I won't..." She shook her head and, unable to stop herself, pulled him towards her; one last hug before the clone woke up, before the calamity started, and before he continued to refrain from telling her what was really going on. "I won't..."

"I know," he repeated as he positioned his arms around her and held her tightly. For a few minutes they stayed like that, and Donna felt herself leaning more and more into his chest; each second seemed to take away more of the deep loneliness that had blossomed during their walk back to the ship. Right now, with the TARDIS humming softly in her ear, while she was unable to see the body lying beside them, and with her best friend so close, she could pretend that everything was okay, and that no more tears would be shed today. And she wanted...she wanted things to be back to normal. She wanted to sit on the captain's chair while he ran around talking nonsense, and and wanted to tease him about all the little things, and she just wanted everything back.

She wanted him to tell her _everything_.

"Ugh..." Both friends froze in mid-hug when a soft moan came from the floor, and Donna broke away to stare at the source of the sound. Rose still lay at their feet, but she was shifting ever so slightly; fingers curling down through the grating of the TARDIS floor and eyes scrunched up as she whimpered.

Donna felt the Doctor leave her side, and she dropped back down to her knees, wavering only slightly before placing a hand the clone's arm. "It's all right," she whispered at soothingly at she could, shivering at the feel of the punctures beneath her fingers. She glanced up at the Doctor once more. She'd have thought he'd be gone by now, but he was still there; leaning against the far side of console as if none of this was happening, arms crossed, and a numb look in his eyes as he continued to watch them.

Donna felt a familiar anger burning up inside of her. Why was he being so bloody difficult? She could understand him being a little bit shaken by the prospect of a clone of Rose, but this was just...It was unfair. Why should she have to volunteer to fight his battles for him, and deal with this by herself? She was just about to open her mouth and tell him exactly this, when there was another whimper from the body below. "M-mum...?"

She jerked back to the clone, and back to what really mattered. Rose's eyes were still closed, but she continued to shiver underneath Donna's palm, reminding the woman of the warm, humming wood that had signalled she'd returned to the TARDIS. But as she watched, the clone's eyes cracked open, squinting in the light of the console room. Donna stared into the large brown irises, which were filled with confusion, and forced a friendly smile. "Um, hello."

"Hi." A moment paused, and Rose squinted up at her in bewilderment, still staring through the locks of hair that were sprawled across her face. "S-sorry, but did I just call you...?"

Donna forced a grin, trying to keep the mood light. "Yup. You did, yeah."

"Oh god." Rose gave a small laugh and pushed back a golden strand of hair from her face so that she could see Donna properly. "Bit embarrassing, yeah?" When Donna gave a nod, she bit her lip. "I...I think I was with my Mum. You know where she is?"

Donna shook her head. "No. Sorry, just...no. No mums here. Just chickens. Well, one chicken." She looked up and gave the Doctor a meaningful glare. He looked like he was about to kick the console.

Despite the nonsense that seemed to be pouring from Donna's mouth, Rose was becoming serious. "Who're you?"

"My name's Donna." Rose nodded, but didn't reply, instead reaching up to rub her eyes, and giving a small wince of pain as she did so. Donna lightly touched her arm. "You okay?"

"My eyes hurt."

"Right," Donna nodded, furiously trying to think of what she should do. "Well...I suppose you haven't used them in a while..." _Or before_, she thought to herself, but didn't say it out of fear of sending Rose into a panic. "So they're bound to be a bit sore, right?"

Rose frowned, still squinting as she stared upwards. "You a Doctor?"

Unable to stop herself, Donna let out a loud shriek of laughter, and then clasped a hand over her mouth. "_Sorry!_ Sorry. Why would you think I'm a Doctor?"

"You seem to know what's goin' on," Rose shrugged with a smile. "Doctors usually do."

"Right." Again, Donna glanced up at the Doctor, who stared right through them for a second before looking away, lips tightening.

Back on the floor, Rose tried to turn her head to see who Donna kept looking at, but was stopped when another stab of pain seemed to hit her, and she reached up to give her eyes another rub. "Ow. What 'appened? I mean, I was with my Mum, and we were..." She trailed off, and a look of dawning realization entered her expression. Her eyes had wandered to the empty space over Donna's shoulder, and she was staring at the ceiling in surprise. "But that's..." She'd seen that she was in the TARDIS.

This was where things would get difficult. Donna scooted back a little, giving the blonde room to sit up and look around, which she did with slow, cautious movements, as if she couldn't quite believe that she was here. And then, ever so slowly, her mouth closed, twisting with submission as her deep, tired breaths began to fade. She knew what was behind her. Now looking straight through Donna, ignoring her worried gaze and trying to accept this twist in reality, Rose turned around to look at the Doctor.

For a few moments, everything was still; Rose remained sitting, just gaping at the man across the console room, and the Doctor held his place, continuing to stare at the young girl on the floor as if she didn't mean anything to him. Donna decided to stay on the floor. She didn't have a bloody clue what to do next.

And neither, as it turned out, did Rose. From the look on her face it was apparent that this was the last thing she'd expected to wake up to. The cataclysm of confusion that she was surely feeling, however, was hidden behind the tiny pinpricks of tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. In an effort that left her gasping for breath, the clone gripped the side of the console and dragged herself to her feet, eyes never leaving the Time Lord that stood opposite her.

"It's you," she breathed, and two tears dripped down past her bittersweet smile while she gave her head an exhausted shake. "It's actually..."

When the Doctor didn't say anything, she pulled herself round the console to get closer to him, hunched over and gasping from the effort, ragged breaths lifting her long bangs in perfect rhythm, and one arm extending out towards him like somebody reaching desperately for a lifeline. There was still no response. From her spot on the floor, Donna swallowed nervously. If the Doctor just continued to stare blankly at Rose, then she'd have to do something brash, and soon.

Rose continued to hold her arm out to him, eyes becoming desperate and quaking legs threatening to collapse beneath her. "Doctor? It's me, Rose." For one moment, a glimmer of...something entered the Doctor's eyes, and then Donna saw him focus on the arm held out to him; glowing a sickly green in the light emanating from the central column, which caused the marks running down the clone's arm to stand out more than before. And then, one more moment passed, and he hurriedly retreated; coat flittering forwards as he backed away towards one of pillars behind him and, not taking his eyes off the girl for a second, silently slipped back through the TARDIS' hallways and out of sight.

Rose's legs chose that moment to stop working, and she toppled to the ground with a squeak. Donna pulled herself to her feet and ran to the console, where the blonde was struggling to regain some control over her new body. "Oi! Don't try to get up, you'll just hurt yourself."

"N-no! You don't understand! That's...that was..." Rose swallowed back tears and stared longingly at the hallway. "I _know_ him! He just doesn't recognize me or somethin'..." She looked down at her body and gave a sob. "What the hell's 'appening to me? I c-can't even walk and he doesn't..."

Donna gave the clone's back a quick rub. "You're just a bit weak, is all," she replied nervously.

"Yeah, but why?"

She didn't have an answer. Alright, maybe she did, but right now wasn't the time for it. Instead she looked away. Good on herself, she supposed. It was all she could do to stop herself from stomping down the hallway and dragging that spaceman's stupid arse back here, but something told her leaving Rose to cry all by herself wouldn't be a good idea. "Come on, let's get you somewhere a bit nicer, and you can lie down, okay?"

Rose suddenly gave a rattled gasp. "My arms..." Her eyes had drifted downwards, to where her hands lay on the cool grating.

"I know. They'll be fine, it's not that bad." Donna chided herself. The small marks on Rose's skin were now turning a dark red, and looked more like cuts than ever before. She winced at the sight of them as she took hold of the clone's fragile, shaking fingers and helped her to her feet. Everything was changing.

Just like that, in the span of about 5 minutes, everything had gotten so much worse than she could have expected.

* * *

The door swung inwards, the dim light from the hallway only just making it past the doorframe before it was swallowed up by the darkness. Behind Donna, Rose was shaking more than ever, either from what had happened in the control room, her frail state, or in anticipation for the room they were about to enter. The redhead swallowed nervously and leaned past the door to switch on the light.

The room was instantly bathed in a warm, welcoming glow. A long double bed was stretched out along the light pink wall, and several worn out magazines lay on the floor, mixed in with several stuffed toys and various make-up products.

Rose gave a sad smile and entered the bedroom, turning her back to the redhead and staring up at a few of the photos that littered the walls. "It's just like when I left it."

Donna shifted closer, curiosity taking over. "Why _did_ you leave him?"

Rose turned towards her, and weakly sat down on the edge of the bed, eyes never leaving the bare wall. After a few moments, in which her chest heaved from exhaustion, the corners of her mouth sharply descended, and she looked up at Donna through watery eyes. "Where is he?"

Donna tried to ignore the fact that Rose hadn't answered her question, and let her eyes fall to the ground. "I don't know. You know him. He's always a bit..."

"He...never came back for me." The clone's words were choked and space out, and Donna instantly flew to her side, at once wrapping her hands around the clone's shaking fingers. "After he ran off like that. It's...like he d-doesn't want me anymore."

"_No!_" The cry came out instinctively. She could watch the Doctor abuse and ignore this girl, but she could _not_ let Rose give up, not when she'd come so far. "He never stops talking about you! You should have seen him after you left; he was a mess!"

"Then what the 'ell was all that about?" Rose flailed an arm helplessly towards the open door, now sobbing freely. "He barely looked at me! Everything we did together and he just..." Another sob racked her body, and Donna threw her arms around the girl, who gripped her back just as tightly. Donna rubbed the clone's back, letting her cry into her shoulder.

Finally, after a few minutes, the girl's sobs became less frequent, and she sniffed. "It's just like when I left it."

Donna pulled back and stared at her. "You already said that."

"I know." Rose's lower lip trembled, and she wiped away a few more stray tears before glancing at the woman. "It's untouched. He never came here after..."

"He didn't forget about you," Donna replied quickly.

"Then what's happened to 'im? Why's he doing this? What's wrong with me?"

They stared at each other, several beats passing before Donna even dared to breathe. She pushed back a lock of hair, and stared into Rose's eyes. And then, bracing herself for the worst, she took her friend by both hands and told the most impossible story.

* * *

By the time she returned to the console room, the Doctor was sitting in the captain's chair, feet up on the console and a warm mug of tea held between his fingers. He was staring blankly at the rotor, eyes watching it as it traveled up and down repeatedly. Donna came closer and he looked up at her. "She okay?"

The redhead stopped. "What, so _now_ you're worried about her?"

He tore his eyes away, and she crossed her arms.

"And for your information, she is _not_ okay. I had to tell her." He returned his gaze to her, watching her speak over the rim of his tea. "About what she is. She was worried something had happened to you to make you act like this."

"And?"

"And why don't you go see for yourself? You'd be making yourself useful for once." What, she wondered to herself, did the Doctor see when he looked at Rose? _This _Rose, she meant. Did he see the same girl he'd lost and so obviously loved so long ago, or the clone manufactured in the heart of a glass mountain, who was only a stranger to him? But even if she was a stranger...that didn't explain his behaviour. What had happened was not the clone's fault. She had never volunteered for this, and the Doctor was more than clever enough to realize that. She'd never understand him, Donna decided. Never.

She sat down next to him. "She's really upset. Still crying when I left her. I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I just sort of...left her to it." She glanced at the Time Lord next to her. "Does this mean _anything_ to you?"

"As it happens, no."

She drew in a deep, furious breath. "The woman you've been moping about since I first met you is just down that hallway, crying her bloody heart out, and you can't even sum up the courage to go in there and explain why this is happening to her? You know _I_ can't! I've been doing my best to deal with all this, and here you are, just sipping _tea!_" Her rage building in momentum, her hand whipped out, and pushed the mug from his clutches. It fell to the ground with a crash, tea spilling through the grating and hissing as it hit the engines. The Doctor simply raised an eyebrow. "I don't care if she's just a clone. That girl is in pain because you're punishing her for something that isn't even her fault, so you'd better go and talk to her right now!"

"She isn't Rose," he hissed, suddenly grabbing her tightly by the shoulders. "And she is _not_ my responsibility!"

"No, well it's just as well she isn't. You'd just muck it up and upset her if the real her was here anyway, wouldn't you? She thought you'd just forgotten her when she saw you hadn't even been in her room since she'd left!"

Suddenly, the Doctor's arms went slack against hers, and he stared at her in shock. The TARDIS was filled with an empty silence, interrupted only by Donna's angry gasps. She was out of breath from shouting at him. "She was in Rose's room?"

"She's sleeping in there! Where else did you think I was going to put her, _Dumbo?_"

There was a deep intake of breath, a sudden, unexpected flash of brown, the sound of his coat fluttering in the air, and then the Doctor was gone; converse disappearing round the corner as he bounded down the TARDIS' corridors. Donna remained sitting for a moment, mouth still hanging open from her latest insult, before giving a surprised blink and running after the Time Lord. He'd had a head start, and his long legs were quick and agile compared to hers, but she followed the sound of his trainers against the floor, and her stomach dropped when she realized where he was leading her; Rose's room.

By the time she arrived, it was too late. Donna skidded to a stop, bare feet creating an angry crash against the floor as they halted in mid-run. Her entire body tensed, more disbelief than she could have thought possible pumping through her and infuriating her to the core as she watched the Doctor furiously throw Rose Tyler from her room.

The girl stumbled through the doorway, the Time Lord quickly advancing behind her, and she hit the wall with a force that would not have even dazed most, but her in her weakened condition she crumpled to the floor, and didn't move. Her arms were cradling her head, which faced the wall before her, and her back was trembling uncontrollably. Her harsh, devastating sobs were drowned out by the Doctor's fierce screams for her to stay out.

He'd lost control. Taking a few determined steps forward, and telling herself not to be afraid of this new, terrifying side of him, Donna rushed up to the Doctor and slapped him full across the face. He jumped backwards and fell silent, and for a minute both of them stood on opposite sides of the hallway, listening to Rose's wails. Donna tightened her fists at her sides, ready to hit him again if anything else happened, but the Doctor slumped against the wall, hand slowly drifting to touch his cheek.

"I told you," she whispered shakily. "I said I wouldn't pity you."

He stared at her, stunned. Then, looking as if he was on the brink of tears, he whispered, "I wanted..." And then he shook his head, arm groping along the wall blindly as he reached for the door handle at his side. Donna just watched, trying her best not to let her emotions show as he disappeared into the depths of Rose's room. The door slammed shut behind him.

She exhaled, trying unsuccessful to hold back the tears, and leaned down to help the weeping girl to her feet. "Come on. You can sleep with me tonight."

* * *

Both women had stopped crying by the time they reached Donna's room. The redhead had reached a state of silent, fiery determination as she cleared off the mess that was lying on her bed, and Rose had gone quiet, swaying slowly in the middle of the bedroom as she stared at the floor. Her body was brand new to the world, and was still adjusting to having to move, but despite all this, and her emotional state, the girl was holding up fairly well.

Finally managing to make things at least a bit more orderly than usual, Donna gave a tight, optimistic smile and turned around. "There we go! All ready for-" She stopped. Rose was gone.

The TARDIS hummed angrily, as if she could sense that something was wrong. Donna ignored the way her stomach dropped in fear and let her feet carry her to the hallway, where she could see Rose just about to turn the corner a few meters away. "Rose!"

The clone slowly turned around, and as she ran to meet her, Donna could see that Rose was just as confused as she was. "What were you doing?"

"I...I don't know. I was just..." Rose looked around in bewilderment and placed a shaking hand over her left temple. "Sorry. Sorry, I was...I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well you're probably just overtired. Come on, let's get you to bed."

"You're kinda good at this analysis stuff." Both women smiled. "You're sure you're okay with this?"

Donna gave a friendly nod as she led the girl back to her-no, their room. There was a large couch in the corner, where she liked to spread herself out and read her favourite magazines, and it would be more than okay if she spent the night there. The memory of the bedroom they'd left behind returned, and it suddenly registered to her that both she and Rose read the same magazines. She smiled tiredly. "It's fine, really. You look like you could use it more than me." _And I don't feel safe,_ she thought to herself, _leaving you by yourself when the Doctor can't even think straight._

"And what about...?" Neither of them needed Rose to continue to know what she was talking about.

Donna just shook her head. "We'll work it out in the morning. It's going to be fine."

* * *

_In the year of '39  
__Came a ship in from the blue  
__The volunteers came home that day  
__And they bring good news  
__Of a world so newly born  
__Though their hearts so heavily weigh._

_For the Earth is cold and grey  
__To a new home we'll away  
__But my love, this cannot be  
__For so many years have gone  
__But I'm older but a year  
__Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me._

_~'39, Queen_


End file.
